


he loves and he lies and most of the time he can't tell the difference between the two

by SmilingCheshire



Series: and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Gen, Jason Todd is Robin, Tim Drake-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 13:43:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13591272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilingCheshire/pseuds/SmilingCheshire
Summary: Alone, isolated, and suffering. It’s no different than the rest of Tim’s life really, the people who inflicted it now though are just more forthcoming about their intentions. It’s a battle to get through each day, to not give in. (That’s what she wants.)





	he loves and he lies and most of the time he can't tell the difference between the two

**Author's Note:**

> (Title is a quote from Addison Edwards) This too wayyy too long but I can explain, I was actually going to post something different but I screwed up the characterization and the writing style was too different from the last part so I started writing this instead, once I fix up the other part I'll post it as well. As far as time line goes, it's been chronological and the this part and the other part are the same events through different eyes so it doesn't change that much.

Alone, isolated, and suffering. It’s no different than the rest of Tim’s life really, the people who inflicted it now though are just more forthcoming about their intentions. It’s a battle to get through each day, to not give in. (That’s what _she_ wants.)

When he finally returns to Gotham, he is swept up in his mother’s embrace. The touch is alien and Tim finds himself pulling away, she only holds to him tighter. “You brat,” she hisses in his ear, “why can’t you ever do what’s good for you?” And Tim knew, she wanted him to give in and be like her.

Janet pushes him back harder than she needs to. Tim doesn’t stumble, he can keep on his feet (it’s what he was _trained_ for afterall). “Come along, Timothy, we have much to discuss.” She grabs his wrist, leading him off to the car with Jack following behind. He can’t bare to look at his father, more likely than not he is involved somehow. (He did fall in love with Janet, so there must be something twisted inside of him.)

 

* * *

 

Night has fallen and the strangeness Gotham harbors comes out in full force. Tim walks the street boredly, with an underlying sense of caution. Gotham may be home to the worst of the worst but Tim had little doubt in his own skills, he would be fine as long as he doesn’t come across the Joker or any of the other unpredictable ones.

He chuckles to himself when he sees a flash of yellow on his tail. Robin is one of the things he missed while he was away but he had at least gotten over his stalking habit. It would be best not to alert the Bat to his knowledge but stalking him was simply poking the bear.

He catches the gazes of the local creeps on him as he walks, making him scowl. (One perk of having Janet as his mother means he inherited the excellent senses she gains in the dark.) He pulls the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and keeps walking, he has things to do after all.

Timothy Jackson Drake, son of socialites Jack and Janet Drake, walks down the Gotham streets well past dark, heading for the Iceberg Lounge.

 

* * *

 

When Tim enters the Lounge, nobody stirs or looked over, they barely blinked an eye. Tim stands there for a moment, he actually thought they would care some kid walked in but he gathered only Cobblepot would care since it would be detrimental to his business to let kids in.

He strides up to the counter, catching the bartender’s attention. “What’re you doing here, kid?” His voice is low and rumbling with a thick Gotham accent.

“I need to talk to Mr. Cobblepot,” he says in a sweet voice and a cute smile.

“Get out, Cobblepot doesn’t deal with kids.” He doesn’t even bother looking at him and Tim feels a flash of anger that captures him to the bone (Janet’s anger, cold and impartial, the anger she controls with a straight face and deadly eyes). In that moment, Tim wants to rehash every bad thing this man has done, everything he’s guilty for, and _break_ him.

Instead, he keeps a pleasant smile on his face, “It’ll barely take a moment of his time, sir.”

The bartender looks at him for a second, “Sir, huh? I can see if Cobblepot’s available.” Tim feels victorious as he watches the man walk away. He looks around the bar, it’s a slow night but a lot of the regulars are at Arkham or Blackgate; Batman has been capturing a lot of people lately (Jason Todd seems to have settled into his new role as Robin).

A few minutes later, the man comes back and gestures for him to follow. The room he’s led into is an office, it’s not the nicest office Tim has seen but then again, Tim is the heir to a multi-million dollar company. Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, is sitting behind the desk, not looking pleased.

Tim sits down in the chair offered to him, not looking afraid as most would. Cobblepot scowls at him, “What’d ya want, kid?”

“Mr. Cobblepot, I’d like to offer you a business proposal. I know I’m not what most would expect when someone says that to you but I have many ideas that would improve your specific field,” he explains to which he gets an interested look.

 

* * *

 

Tim’s barely a block away from the Iceberg Lounge when he gets ambushed, not by some random scumbag but by Robin. He pulls Tim into an empty alleyway, blocking the way out. “What were you doing in the Iceberg Lounge?” He asks, more like demands.

“What does it look like?” Tim laughs, throwing on a carefully practiced ‘asshole’ persona, “I was trying to score some alcohol.”

Jason recoils at his words, “What? You’re, like, ten.” (Must have had flashbacks from his time in Crime Alley.)

“Yeah? I thought supervillains would be willing to sell to kids but turns out I was wrong.” Tim rolls his eyes and begins to walk away, Jason grabs his arm.

“Why were you in there for so long?” He asks, glaring at Tim.

“Cobblepot said to never come back again, that it would be bad for business for something.” Tim snorts, like that’s hilarious which it is, Cobblepot’s a supervillain for god’s sake.

“Whatever, just go home.” Jason tells him and it hurts him, to see Jason hate him so much, not that he doesn’t deserve it, but he was always nice to Jason at school since he doesn’t have many friends.

Tim rolls his eyes again and pushes past him.  
 

* * *

 

 

Tim is able to slip into the house when he gets home, all the lights are off and he’s bathed in darkness as he scampers up one of the main staircases. But then he runs into something. Something that feels a lot like another person (like Janet).

“Timothy.” It’s her and her voice is filled with the same damn coldness it always has. She dressed in a silk robe and she’s been waiting for him. Tim sezues up in cold fear. “Where have you been?”

“I went out,” he snaps, “I’m not some little kid anymore, not after you put me through.”

Janet’s face is cold, like it always is, but it’s also _angry_ . She grabs Tim’s chin and looks, “After your father and I leave, you will go back without any fuss until you have learned your _lesson_.” Her lips curl into a false smile. “Now, go to bed.” She lets him go and begins to walk off to her room which is on the other side of Tim’s room and also Jack’s.

He begins to walk to his room with wanting to. _She did something to me_ , he realizes as he enters his room. And he wonders,

_Maybe she will suceed in making me like her._

_Maybe I already am._

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU Jason hasn't been kidnapped by the Joker yet and frankly I'm wondering if I want him to become the Red Hood because this part is setting Tim up to be a crime boss (and also some more supernatural stuff I'll get into later) and I wonder if the interactions between Red Hood!Jason or pre-Lazarus!Jason would be better so please give me your thoughts. Also I was thinking of having Tim becoming Red X since Red X!Tim is always fascinating.


End file.
